Philip studied Physics at Oxford and Sheffield Universities. His PhD was in semiconductor optoelectronics, specifically the luminescence mechanism of porous silicon. After relocating from England to South Africa, he has focused on public communication on matters of science. This has involved speaking regularly about all things scientific – as his twitter bio says, he is “equally obsessed with astronomy and aardvarks” – on one of South Africa’s prominent radio stations, participating in public debates about matters of science and faith, and, most especially, performing over 1000 public astronomy shows to audiences of vastly different sizes.